Fresh protests against Boateng: Bayern fans make their stance clear | OneFootball

The debate surrounding Jérôme Boateng continues to cause tensions at FC Bayern. Before the Champions League match against Club Brugge, the Südkurve made a clear statement with a banner that took a strong stance against abuse of power and violence in relationships.

Shortly before kickoff, fans in the Allianz Arena unveiled a large banner with the inscription: “Against abuse of power and physical & psychological violence in relationships.” It was the second protest action within a few days. Already during the Bundesliga victory against Borussia Dortmund (2:1) last weekend, the supporters had unmistakably expressed their discontent over the planned Boateng internship.

The background: FC Bayern plans to offer the former central defender, who wore the record champion's jersey from 2011 to 2021, an internship in Vincent Kompany's coaching team. Boateng aims to acquire further licenses as part of his coaching education – after completing his B-license, he intends to pursue the A-license and the football coaching license.

Bayern defends the decision

The ongoing criticism from the fan scene has not yet deterred the club management from their course. Sports director Max Eberl defended the decision clearly in interviews after the Dortmund match: “This is not about employment, it’s not about a permanent position at FC Bayern. It’s simply about observing training sessions. That’s all there is to it. We would approve of that. We say it’s not a problem.”

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen also expressed understanding for the emotional reactions but emphasized the club's social responsibility: “It is a complicated case,” Dreesen admitted, “but we advocate for resocialization.”

With this, the club management underscores that Boateng's return is primarily about a second professional attempt – and not about an active role in the club.

The trigger for the protests lies in the legal past of the former national player. The Munich I Regional Court sentenced Boateng in July 2024 to a fine of 200,000 euros for intentional simple bodily harm to his former partner. The judge also issued a warning with a suspended sentence but emphasized that “nothing remains of the accusation of being a notorious woman-beater.”

Legally, Boateng is thus not considered to have a criminal record. Nevertheless, the case remains a sensitive issue for many fans. The public discourse on Säbener Straße reflects how divided the perception is: Between the principle of resocialization on one side – and the desire of many supporters for clear moral demarcation on the other.

Kompany himself offered Boateng the possibility of an internship at the end of September. At the time, he explained that he wanted to provide former players with a perspective in the coaching field. However, the reactions from the stands show that the path back to professional football remains a difficult one for Boateng – even in Munich.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.